Card Lores:Battle Sister, Compote
Monthly Bushiroad She is a member of "Battle Sisters", the trueborn agents of the Battle Order. She is one of the few friends of "Madeleine", who was teased as the most problematic kid of the Order. She bore the past of being kidnapped by a small criminal group just after she was born, and was told that the criminals are her benefactors when she grew up. She learnt assassination techniques to return the false favor, and had fought with a Battle Sister when the latter was protecting her target. Her opponent's outstanding gunblade techniques defeated her easily. After that she was protected by the Battle Order, and from the order's records, she learnt of the crimes committed by the criminal group and her background. When she was struck by despair for what she had done and lost the power to live, she met three characteristic sisters chosen as her partners... their true faces were some of the most ferocious sisters of the Battle Order. Boom sounds explode, the ground shatters, mysterious incantations are sung, etc. The seniors cause problems whenever they are given the chance, and as she tries to stop her seniors, smiles return to her face. ---- Compote's handnotes picked up by a sister *Madeleine: Don't go berserk, moron. Let's work together more. *Pannacotta: The tough girl. Relies on brutal strength too much. She has become better these days, perhaps. *Berrymousse: Speaks in a weird way. I've become able to understand her more and more. *Gelee: Like a cat. Everyone fears her. Why? *Parfait: Soft. Always weird. *Monaka: Cool! I wanna become like Monaka! Target! *Fromage: Strong and gentle. I want to speak with Captain more. *Assam: Brawnier than Pannacotta. *Maple: Super, voice, loud. *Waffle: An adorable girl, but I heard she is much older than me. I wonder if that's true. *Cocotte: I've never seen her not asleep... *Chai: The tsukkomi person? She speaks in a weird way. Funny. *Tarte: She pats my head many times. I want to hear her voice... *Cookie: She seems to have a bad relationship with Monaka... I wonder why. *Pudding: She always smiles. That's somehow scary. *Ginger: I wonder if the bombs she always carries are real bombs. *Cream: She speaks with the Captain a lot. We're both problem-solvers(?), so we get along well. *Taffy: She has told me a lot about the Captain. *Eclair: Whenever I get near the Captain, her face becomes really scary. Somehow unpleasant. *Macaron: The "stupid girl". Similar to Madeleine. *Cocoa: Rumors say that she has been here before the Captain joined. I wonder if that's true. *Chocolat: Cocoa's partner? They're always together. Kind. Monthly Bushiroad Short Novel (2017 February Issue) Rumbling! A Battle Sister's Struggle At the night of United Sanctuary. The clear voice of a young girl resounded from a rooftop of the residential area. "See, you can flee no more." The girl in black monastic habit held kukri knives vigilantly. Standing in her way were several armed men with black clothes covering their faces. The man posed like their leader made a short order, "Scatter.". However, "Fufufu...you have already been imprisoned, in the everlasting darkness." Their actions seemed to be predicted. Two shades leapt into the battlefield and flanked them. One of the shade was a lady, with silver hair brilliantly reflecting the moonlight and red eyes like searing fire. One of her eyes was covered by a eye-pad with an emblem that the men had never seen before. "Please be cut and crushed without resist~" Another shade was a tall lady in smile. Despite her slime frame, she held a heavy knight's greatsword in one hand. Both ladies wore costumes similar to the young girl with little difference, revealing their allegiance. The mens' way were blocked from the front, the left and the right, and they had only one way to flee. After nodding to each other, they turned back simultaneously and fled to the rear. "Good." The men fled with their full speed, without caring other things. The chance of being blocked or caught was low. But, "Madeleine, now!" A sister appeared suddenly and stood just in their way, and they have no way to escape from the cannon already in aiming mode. "Well done, Compote! Leave the finale to me! FIRE---!" Able to convert mana into shells, the sister's weapon was a "magic cannon"---the despair on the mens' face were illuminated by the shells of light, and all of them were stunned and immobilized by the exploding shells of light. Everything went as planned, but, "Wait!? Stop! Hyaaa---!?" "Madeleine"' fired without aiming as she always does, and the shells of light even reached "Compote", the girl standing behind the men. That would have injured Compote severely, if the girl had not got used to that and evaded. "MAAAADEEEELEEIINEEEE!" ---- "I SAAAAY!" The girl could no longer tolerate, and her voice of anger shook the church at dawn. All the birds on the rooftop sensed the danger and flew away. "I've told you to fix your firing-without-aiming syndrome!" The solemn church is located in the west of the capital, and no sound can leak from the church as there are anti-noise measures to prevent disturbing the nearby residents. "What'd happen if it hits!" But, whenever the girl spoke, the pedestrians turned their heads to see what happened. Her sound did not leak, for sure. That was because the whole building shook with her voice. "Hey, you don't need to get mad, Compote. You say that, but you have dodged them all, haven't you?" Then, what happened in the church? A young girl was scolding at a lady whose appearance was more mature. "I also think I've done it wrong, you see?" "Mukiii! Your attitude says the opposite!" The girl called "Compote" got angrier, and her face flushed with her anger. But the lady's face was unserious as usual. "Pannacotta, Berrymousse, say something!" The two sisters standing behind her lazily noticed they were being called, and walked to the front. However, their responses were not the ones expected by Compote. "I am protected by Rose of Shadow Cross, so that couldn't hurt me." "Rose...what's that?" "Can't you understand? Right, automatically triggered detection magic, is it a bit easier to understand?" "Just say that from the very beginning!" The eye-pad sister "Berrymousse" spoke of terms that Compote could not understand, and made the girl confused. "I don't care as well~I always cut the shells down~" The tall sister with greatsword, "Pannacotta", said something violent in her calm smile. "What happens if you can't cut them down?" "I cut them down, absolutely~" Compote tried to persuade Pannacotta, but Pannacotta stuck to the point "cut them down". She was surprisingly stubborn. "Hey, can we just dismiss? Tired we are, so we gotta dismiss early and take a rest." Just after Madeleine made the proposal, all the sisters heard "Puchiii" like something cut down. "NOOOOOOOO! ENOUGH! I DON'T KNOW YOU ALL!" Raising her voice to the maximum, Compote walked to the altar in the deep part of the church, and opened the hidden door. Before entering, she turned her head for once. "Moron Madeleine! I hate you!" Leaving those words, she closed the door, or more accurately, she slammed the door shut. "Oh my~" "Her anger, can be compared to the raging battle deity Minerva...I suppose that is an appropriate analogy." Madeleine finally turned from unserious to regret. She had been pretending calm, perhaps. "Then, my friend of oath, what will you do?" "...Sorry, I've gone too far." "You should say sorry not to us, but to that kid~" "I know..." Madeleine answered in a depressed voice. ---- The "Battle Sisters" is an armed group of the "Religious Order", a subdivision of "Oracle Think Tank". The Religious Order has many groups with unique abilities, but none of them is better than the Battle Sisters when it comes to fights. "...Hah..." Due to various reasons, over half of the Religious Order's members have no home or relatives, and they live in a massive underground facility in the capital. "Madeleine...moron." Sinking herself into the lovely pink bed in her room, Compote murmured with her anger not yet extinguished. To calm down her own anger, she tried to think about something else. (That said, I get used to this room) She was saved from the world of darkness by "Fromage", the leader of Battle Sisters, who also coordinated this room for her. Compote looked around, and found almost everything in the room being pink in colour. (Captain, really likes pink. That's surprising.) The room is now the most comfortable place in the world in her eyes, but when she had just left the distorted world and joined the order, the room was a disgusting place with nothing but stuffs which were irrelevant to her work. (That time, I was really bad.) Fromage had no intention to force Compote to work until the latter's mind became stable. But, the Religious Order could not afford to leave a talented agent like her stay idle. And she, who knew nothing but fight, was willing to join. Several days after she was protected, she formally became one of the Battle Sisters. (And, under the condition that...) Fromage could not agree with the Religious Order's decision, and suggested a condition. That Compote was only allowed to work if she joined a certain team. (I had thought that comrades were nothing but obstacles, and I simply needed to work hard myself) But, Compote was assigned to a team with nothing but problematic kids, more accurately, the most problematic among the Religious Order. They caused nothing but troubles if left unattended, and the team's...and Compote's own reputation would be ruined, so Compote proposed to devise operation plans before taking actions. The three other members looked down on the young Compote in the very beginning, but they found out the value of Compote's operation plans, and followed her orders after that. As they act according to Compote's operation plans, at least to some extent, they cause less troubles gradually. (I thought I must be the one to be serious, and have no spare time for slack off) At that moment, she saw the shelf with a stuffed toy with patches and darns. "Oh, this stuffed toy is..." When the team had just formed for a while, there was a day when Compote got mad, for the same reason as this day. She made a mess in her room, and she went out for relaxing without locking the door. (When I returned, the stuffed toy has been patched. The work is rough, though.) The stuffed toy had been in a horrible form, with the cotton exposed and the button eyes away, was patched to a form at least not so ugly. None could say the patching work was excellent, but seeing that, Compote's anger was no more, and grew a strong feeling to say sorry. (That was done by Madeleine, was it? After that, she said sorry to me.) Madeleine's cheerful smile flickered in Compote's mind. (Will she come again...) Hugging the stuffed toy almost in the same size of herself, Compote made a wish idly. ---- But, even after one week, Madeleine didn't apologize to Compote. In fact, she had not shown up at all. Compote tried to ask the other Battle Sisters about where Madeleine was, but they all replied "I don't know". For this, the ember of Compote's anger was ignited once again. "What's this!? What's THIS!? Moron Madeleine!" She shouted out before she noticed, and everyone looked at her. Her face blushed in the mixed feeling of anger and embarrassment, and she ran back to her room. "Compote is crying. It might be a right choice to bestow the heavenly revelation upon her..." "There, there, let's wait a bit more~Madeleine said she would do it by herself~" "But." "I know~so we shall support Compote well~" ---- "Moron...moron..." Compote walked without hiding her face which almost burst into tears. Many looked at her, and a lady with mysterious bluish black hair stood out and talked to her. "Compote, why are you crying?" She was "Monaka", one of the best combatants among Battle Sisters. She is well known as a user of a magical katana. "Monaka..." The attentions of the surrounding shifted from Compote to Monaka. "This isn't a good place to exchange words, for both of us. Let's find somewhere else." ---- Because many Battle Sisters cannot show up in the public for various reasons, there is a garden in the underground facility. Monaka leant on a huge tree, and asked Compote again. "Compote, why were you crying? I don't mean to force you to tell me, but if you tell me, I may be able to help you." "...Monaka, if you quarrel with someone, how do you make up with him or her?" "Quarrel. I have little experience, but in my case, I apologize with sincerity." "Yes, it should go like that..." "Fufufu, another solution is to fight with the opponent until we can understand each other mutually." That was a Monaka-style joke. Monaka could not bear to see Compote's growing depression, so she did something she was not familiar with. Even hearing the joke, Compote was still sad. And, "Compote, I shall tell you the truth. That is..." ---- After Compote learnt the truth from Monaka, she rushed to the exit that connects to the ground. "I've been told to keep silence...a week ago, Madeleine received a mission on her own. Many times she was told that the mission was impossible to be carried alone, but she did not listen. It seems that she had some reasons behind her choice, and Fromage-dono yielded in the end. The reasons...Compote!? Wait, that's not all---" At that moment, Compote dashed away from the garden. (Why are you going alone? Is that the team, no, am I so unreliable in your eyes?) She checked the board near the exit. She found Madeleine's name on it, and returned to her run. Madeleine was pursuing a ninja from the Empire, suspected to be a spy. The ninja was staunch, and had already defeated several Battle Sisters. (Fighting someone like that on your own...) She gritted her teeth and ran at even faster speed. The mission was from a large city in the west, a little away from the capital. With her full speed, she could reach there in two hours. "Madeleine, moron of morons!" With big drops of tears in her big eyes, the girl ran on the street without a pause. ---- "Compote...! I must bring her back..." "Fu, you are like that, as you always are." Monaka tried to stop the running girl, but she noticed someone was behind her. She stopped and turned to the back. "Cookie...you've been standing there for all the time, haven't you?" She stared at "Cookie", the sister who appeared behind her. "Good to be caring, but don't make things complicated." "Keep silence. I must bring that girl back. Give way." "Oh, even seeing me, you don't fight with me at first sight. That means you're really nervous, aren't you?" "You...!" Provoked, Monaka placed her hand on the katana's grip without thinking. At that moment, the surrounding air became chilling. Her magical katana is a dangerous weapon, able to freeze everything around it in the blink of an eye. However, Cookie stayed calm and said, "Look." Cookie pointed the upper corridor with her chin. Monaka looked at there cautiously, and she saw two shadows running. "They are...!" "This is their team's problem. Speaking without thinking can't help them." Suppressing her murderous aura, Monaka sheathed her katana. The chilling air became warmer. "Hmm...this calmness of you can only be helpful if you can use it in the battlefield." "Fu, and it'll be good if you can stay calm when I'm in front of you." "How dare you...!" Monaka stays calm in all situations except one, that is, when Cookie is in her sight, due to a happening in the past. "Monaka, are you seeing yourself in Compote?" "And you, stop pretending to be caring...get out of my sight." "Fu...I shall do so." ---- "Kakaka! As a woman, you fight well!" "Thank, you!" "Arrrggh!" Two hours after Compote left the capital, Madeleine was fighting the wanted spy "Aragoto Spark". "Pretend to be struck down..." Aragoto Spark seemed to be hit directly by shells of light. But, his form vanished like mist, "This is my utsusemi-no-jutsu (empty cicada shell technique)!" "Ku, again..." And he appeared behind Madeleine. Madeleine dodged the katana reflexively, and jumped to maintain a distance. Although Madeleine is a skilled fighter, she was in a disadvantaged position when fighting Aragoto Spark. Aragoto Spark might look ridiculous, but his combat techniques were superb, as described on the wanted posters. (My weapon is likely to damage the city. But with only myself...I can't afford to fire aimlessly) When her mind came to this statement, Madeleine noticed, (Thinking about "collateral damage", am I...this must be that kid's influence) "Good, good! A good fight! A searing fight this is, I am excited!" (Pannacotta and Berrymousse have changed a lot too...With their support, I can fight a bit more recklessly for that girl) "This art of stealth is the flower path! Taste my marvelous technique! Ravager Wave!" "Naive!" Madeleine parried the katana with her gun barrel. (The one who changes me from a despised problematic kid is---) "Looking elsewhere is no good, looking elsewhere you are! Second move, Ravisher Smash!" Aragoto Spark used the inertia of his katana, and hit Madeleine's abdomen with the grip. "Gaargh!" The distracted Madeleine was blown away into the air by Aragoto Spark's technique. (Dang...a direct hit.) There were cases that one's mind became extraordinarily clarified in dangerous situations. And Madeleine entered this state now. (After hitting the wall, even if I can still move miraculously, can I continue to fight with my injuries? No...with only myself) No matter how much she could think and calculate, she had no means to evade the fate of hitting the wall and be defeated. "Shoot..." (I try to look good before that kid, and end up in this unsightly finale) She could not say a complete sentence to express her hidden thoughts, and only a short apology could leak from her mouth. "Sorry, Co..." ---But, Madeleine did not turn her head. She wasn't able to do that. But, when she heard that voice, she noticed who was the speaker. "Comp..." "Take...this~" Madeleine tried to speak out the name, but her voice was overshadowed by sounds of explosion. Pannacotta's greatsword cut down the balcony of the building Madeleine was going to hit...no, the balcony was smashed and demolished completely. "O jet black arms!" Then, the debris was removed by something like hands of shadow. It was Berrymousse summoning magic. Madeleine's body did not hit the building and flew further, and receiving her was, "Madeleine---!" "Compote...!" Compote, enchanted with Berrymousse's temporary body enhancement magic. The impact made Compote's metal boots scratched with the ground with sparks. "It hurts..." "Hey, you! What is this reckless move!" Madeleine said that, and her right face was hit. Compote gave her a slap. "What---" "You are the one who take reckless moves!" "Nah...oh, yes." "Say sorry!" "...sorry very much." "Sorry very much, I should say as well...but!" "But?" "It's work time! Arrest that first!" Madeleine was stupefied in Compote's delicate arms. Then, Pannacotta and Berrymousse came to join them. "We must work together, all four of us...that said, we cannot work well without Compote-chan commanding us~" "We are friends of oath, linked by bonds of black shadow. Like lotus flowers blooming from one single root, like body parts working together. Isn't it?" "You all..." They took a short rest, but Aragoto Spark reached them, and broke a rooftop brick with its foot. "You all! Interrupting a sacred duel...shame on you!" "Shut your mouth! You showy showy ghostie!" "S, showy showy!?" "I don't know your duel! Madeleine is our comrade! If you want to fight, all of us will join the fight!" "K, k, k, k...kidding you are, little girl!" Aragoto Spark was enraged, by the girl who appeared suddenly and insulted its appearance, which he considered his own identity. "If you say so, I shall fight all four of you at once! Take this, my greatest technique! Ravisher---" Aragoto Spark held its katana with both hands, and prepared to release its secret technique. But, "Arrrrrrrggggghhhh!" Numberless fireballs rained down from the sky, and exploded on where the dragon was standing. Seeing the charred enemy, the four Battle Sisters looked at each other, exchanging eye contact with the question "Who's done that?". Of course, all four of them waved their heads. "Then, why..." "So it hits. I say, if the enemy is this weak, deal with it yourself..." The Battle Sisters heard a voice from above. "That witch holds others' noses to the grindstone, as always." The Battle Sisters looked up, and saw someone descending. "I only return to take my documents, and she pushes the job of eliminating the wanted intruder near the capital to me...she's too bossy." The complaining man landed off was a blond young man in black mage cloak. Compote could not but make a small scream when seeing the left arm of the young man. His arm was not humanoid ones...but like a reptile's, more correctly, a dragon's. That must be some sorts of magic. Madeleine did not lower her guard, and asked the suspicious young man. "...Who are you?" "Hmm? What, are there other enemies?" The young man turned back and pointed his strange arm to Madeleine. But seeing the Battle Sisters, he lowered his arm. "Oh, sisters of the religious order." "Who are you? If you know the religious order, you should be one of this nation, aren't you?" "I am Lua...no, nothing. Forget what happened today. Bye." Speaking onesidedly, the young man stretched out wings on his back, and flew away. "...I can't understand at all, but first, bind the wanted man." Madeleine shackled the dying Aragoto Spark. She tried to keep the young man appeared like a tempest away from her mind, and completed her task first. "One job completed...can I say so?" ---- "Huh! Why the reward is so little!?" One of the rooms of the religious order was shaken by a thundering voice. A lady slammed her fist on the table to express her anger. "Sister Madeleine. Don't bang the table. The table will be crushed again." "This is reduced too much!" Although Madeleine was so angry that she looked like she could bite someone, the blond lady sitting on the chair---Fromage, the captain of Battle Sisters, was not frightened, but sighed a bit. "Sister Madeleine, listen to me," "Though captain accepted me to work on my own, and saying this is a bit unfair, but this is," Madeleine interrupted Fromage. And, "Fools. You girls hav' destroyed a building, the whole building, ya see?" Madeleine was in turns interrupted by a man. He is "Susanoo", an important person of "Oracle Think Tank" and the younger brother of the CEO, "Amaterasu". "And ya burnt the street like charred...repairin' isn't free of charge!" "No, the burning wasn't done by..." "Nah! Who else was there!? I've beaten the ridiculous wanted man, and he said you defeated him!" (That showy showy ghostiiiieeee!) "Anyway, no more complaints about the rewards. And you are forbidden to work on your own for now. Work as a team as you did in the past. Understood?" "...Yes." "I've made the unwise decision to permit you acting on your own. So I will bear the responsibilities to deal with the damage to the city." Madeleine could speak freely to the captain, but she could not oppose Susanoo, a key person of the conglomerate and a high-ranked deity. "That's all. Return to your room, and take a rest." "...Yes." Taking the bag of coins, so small that it could be hidden in the grip of a fist, Madeleine left the room. "Huu. Thank you for settling the situation, Lord Susanoo." "And ya're havin' tough days. Dealing with these ragin' girls every day, do you?" Hearing Susanoo caring words, Fromage replied in smile with a bit confusion. "Huhu, days are tough, as you say...but thanks to them, there isn't a single boring day." "If I were in your place, I'd hav' exploded." "You're really superb," after saying so, Susanoo turned his head. "Do you want to have a one-day try? I can prepare monastic habits for you." "...No, thanks." ---- "Ah, with just a bit..." Madeleine repeated throwing and catching the bag of coins, and murmured. "This isn't enough, I say." Sitting on the staircase landing, she sighed when she had a look of the coins inside the bag. (I apologized that time without a choice, but this is...) "Haa...." "Ufufufu~It seems that you're in trouble~" "Wah!? Don't scare me!" "My, my~Sorry~" "I am also here, friend of oath." Pannacotta appeared suddenly, and Berrymousse followed. "By any chance, both of you know, right? The reason why I went alone." "I figured out, somehow." "Madelaine is poor at saying lies, after all~" Their responses made Madeleine hold her head in hands. But, a moment later, "We have been always making troubles for our little friend of oath." "Make our unhappy Compote-chan so busy that she would have no time to fall in depression~That is the beginning of our teamwork~" "It turns out to make you play the villain. We have been reflecting on that." "...What's that all in a sudden? It makes me uneasy." Their gentle words made Madeline almost cried. "To make it short," "We want to help~" Saying so, Pannacotta and Berrymousse held Madeleine's arms. "Now~Time for shopping together~" ---- Knock knock...knock knock. "Hmm?" Compote, still frustrated about the previous day's happenings, was shocked by the abrupt knocking sound. "Hyai!?...Who's it?" She could not keep her tone calm. That would make her sound impolite, if the person knocking the door was not familiar with her. "It's me, Madeleine." "Ah, w, wait a moment." She rushed to the door, saying "I'm coming", and opened the door gently. "Hey, you've worked hard yesterday." "Y, yes. So do you." She felt somehow uneasy. They seemed to be thinking about the same thing to say, and that made them difficult to speak it out. "In, injuries, are your injuries closed?" "Ah, yes. They aren't severe as they look. And there aren't abnormalities in bone." "I see, that's a good thing." They seemed to be talking, but their chat did not actually go on to the next step. Both of them could not say what they really wanted to say. But that angered someone, someone not in the discussion. "You should know when to give up~" "Enough of this charade, just give it to her!" ""Waaaaah!"" Both Compote and Madeleine raised their arms in surprise, due to the sudden appearance of Pannacotta and Berrymousse. And that made Compote noticed, that Madeleine was holding something in her hand. "Madeleine, what's that?" "Eh!? Nah, this is, that is..." "It's a present for Compote from Madeleine~" "A tribute of apology, it is." "Hey, you two just say that before I do!" "For me?" Looking at Compote's nervously looking face, Madeleine gave up and gave her a bag. "...Yes. I feel really sorry about what happened that time. I just want to do something to divert you from feeling unhappy, but that's overdone." "A present from Madeleine..." Compote was curious about what was inside the bag, and she untied the knot of the bag. "This is cute...a new veil?" "You've been wearing the same veil since you came here, right?" The present from Madeleine was a veil of religious habit, with a silhouette that resembled cat ears. The textile was of high quality, so obvious that Compote could tell by the first touch. "So, eh, I'm looking forward to getting on well with you...Eh!?" "Boo...boohoo..." "I, I'm, hey! Why're you crying!? Is that you don't like it?" Madeleine was flustered when she saw Compote started crying. Until she heard the next sentence. "It's not that I don't like it...boo...I am so happy. Thank you...sorry..." "...ya, I see." Leaving those words, Madeleine hugged the crying Compote. "Boooohoooo..." They didn't notice when Pannacotta and Berrymousse left the place. "My, my." After that, Compote cried for about an hour, with Madeleine patting her head until she stopped crying. Category:Lores